Citing an opportunity to celebrate the rich legacy of Dilip Kumar on his 100th birth anniversary in December, the Film Heritage Foundation decided to present the actor’s prominent works across 20 cities over a two-day retrospective. However, of the 60 films that Kumar frontlined across his five-decade career, only seven, we’re told, have been preserved for public screening in a cinema hall. Film conservator Shivendra Singh Dungarpur — who has curated the films for the upcoming event — laments that the industry lends a blind eye to restoration efforts that are essential to retain the rich cultural history of Indian cinema. 

“People have the misconception that a film has survived if it is available on YouTube, or on cassettes. But, look at the quality! It is terrible,” says Dungarpur, adding that the late actor’s celebrated offering, Gunga Jumna (1961), also couldn’t be salvaged. “[Kumar] is one of our icons, but we had limited options to pick from. We wanted to choose films that he did in his prime. We have Aan [1952], which was India’s first techni-colour film, Devdas [1955] that got him the tragic hero status, Ram Aur Shyam [1967], which showed his impeccable comic timing, and Shakti [1982], his only film with [Amitabh] Bachchan,” says Dungarpur, adding that he hopes to showcase Kumar’s versatility to the young audience with this selection.